The Passing of a Seattle Police Pioneer
A biography of Phil Sullivan, an ex-lieutenant of the Seattle police force, who died of consumption at the Pacific House.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Phil Sullivan, ex-lieutenant of police, died of consumption yesterday morning at 4 o'clock, in his rooms at the Pacific House. The disease which removed the well-known figure of Sullivan from this life made rapid strides in the last few months and caused him to go to Denver, where he hoped to be benefited by the climate. His hopes were not realized, and he returned to Seattle about two weeks ago. From that time he went down rapidly until death. Phil Sullivan was born in Bangor, Me., in 1855, and after receiving a common school education he became a lumberman. In the summer of 1888, he put in an application for a position on the police force, and on September 12 was appointed a special. He continued as regular through the many changes made in the head of the office about that time, and when Thornton was elected he was appointed lieutenant. From 1890 until a short time after the Democrats came into power he maintained that position in a creditable manner. With the change of administration he was reduced to the ranks and subsequently dropped.
“From 1890 until a short time after the Democrats came into power he maintained that position in a creditable manner.”
Sullivan's career highlights the high turnover and political volatility of the early Seattle police department, where positions were often tied to the prevailing administration rather than civil service longevity.
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